Winnebago County
Literacy Council

"We teach so others may reach"

106 Washington Ave
Oshkosh, WI 54901
920.236.5185
www.winlit.org

The Winnebago County Literacy Council (WCLC) has been providing literacy services to adults throughout Winnebago County since its inception in 1989. The primary focus of the agency is to provide one-to-one tutoring opportunities to adults reading at or below a fourth-grade level. The WCLC utilizes trained volunteer tutors to teach adult students how to read and apply basic survival literacy skills to everyday life.

Please contact us if you know an individual who is in need of literacy services. Referrals may be made to Raissa Reimer, our Student Services Coordinator, at reimer@winlit.org, or by calling 236-5219 x 4802.

New Benefactors!

Each month, we acknowledge our new or renewing benefactors. These are hard working business people and friends who are willing to share their resources to see the Winnebago County Literacy Council and its programs grow.
To view the list of new or renewing benefactors, click here!

A charitable gift annuity is a way for donors to make a significant gift to your organization, receive a partial tax deduction, and yet keep an income for life for themselves or others. It is a contract under which a charity, in return for a transfer of cash or stock, agrees to pay a fixed sum of money for the rest of the donor's life. Most gift annuity donors are retired, want to increase their cash flow, seek the security of guaranteed payments, and would like to save taxes.

How does your donor benefit from charitable gift annuity?

• Increased income for their family or someone else
• Capital gains tax avoidance
• Minimized taxes on their income
• Increased income at retirement
• Diverting of income to someone in a low tax bracket
• Gift tax and estate tax savings
• A hedge against inflation
• Professional management of a donor's fund
• Reduced probate costs

Please remember the Winnebago County Litearcy Council in your will or estate plan.

Volunteer Spotlight

The theme for National Volunteer Week, commemorated April 19-25, is "Celebrating People in Action." The theme captures the meaning behind this signature week – honoring the individuals who dedicate themselves to taking action and solving problems in their communities. National Volunteer Week is an opportunity to for all of us at the Winnebago County Literacy Council to show appreciation for our volunteers. The time and energy they dedicate to helping our students is priceless. We could not exist or achieve our mission without them:

Evonne Vergin                                   Deb Cowie

Mike Lopresti                                     Kathy Harris

Monica Penzenstadler                      Amelia Wolff

Dorothy Frohn                                    Sandra Halstead

Jennifer Miller                                    Sharon Schraufnagel

Laurie Malliett                                    Joe Manske

Karen Seifert                                     Don Hansen

Sister Mary Jo Palma                       Carol Doubek

Paul Florea                                        Samantha Zinth

Shauna Kruse                                    Jim Barthel

Melissa Greiser-Bonar                     Eunice Eggenberger

Alison Dumke                                    Phylis Frey-Plank

Stepheny Mulholland            

Patty Stenz                                         Mary Moore

Michelle Sliwicki                                Carol Kossel

Suzanne Werner                               Becca Huebner

Natalie Johnson                                Deb Dubester

Dana Koch                                         Elizabeth Hayward

Carol Schuenke                                Barbara Urbrock

Natalie Verwiel                                  De De Harrison

Chris Lang                                         Dave Wasinger

Jeff Huppert                                       Deanie Minniear

Shirlene Narveson-Woodrow          Jean Samson

Lois Potratz                                       Bonnie Smith

Ginger Selle                                       Raisa Ramos

Terri Radtke                                       Susan Sonnenberg

Marge Brehm                                    Arlene Haffa

Marcia Pockat                                   Don Bruex

Kristi Boushele                                  Alex Hummel

Marcie Wilson                                   Tina Krueger

Lisa Weckwerth                                Stephen Katz

Judy Siebold                                     Tim Ceman

Kathleen McDonald                                       

Celebrating 20 Years in 2009!

As we celebrate two decades of service in Winnebago County, we are proud of our student's accomplishments.

With your support, we hope to help hundreds more families in our next 20 years, as adult and family literacy remains a critical concern in our community and across the nation. But we need your help to do so.

We understand that these are tough economic times, so we want you to know that a gift of any amount can make a difference. Please consider donating just $20 per month in 2009 in honor of our 20 years of service in Winnebago County.

You may make monthly contribution to the Winnebago County Literacy Council by having funds from your savings or checking account automatically deposited to the WCLC. You simply decide on the amount you want to contribute, click on our the credit/debit authorization form, complete and return the form to us, and we'll do the rest!

Credit/Debit Authorization Form

Hosted by the Volunteer Center, the Walk/Run will occur on May 2nd , 2009 at 9:00 am in Menominee Park. We need your help! By participating in this non-competitive 5K Walk/Run you will be helping to generate support for our much needed programming at the Winnebago County Literacy Council.

Here’s how it works:

• First: Have us mail you your own Human Race Application Form or click on the link to download your own, Human Race WCLC Registration Form and ask family, friends, neighbors, colleagues, and even the pizza delivery person to donate to a great cause, the Winnebago County Literacy Council. No amount is too small! Feel free to talk up the great successes you are having with your student and how this agency is helping Oshkosh become more literate.
• Second: Collect the pledges as you receive them. Again someone can pledge $5, $10, $20, $50, or $100. Any amount is acceptable. Donors are not pledging per mile or anything, just one flat donation. Checks can be made payable to the Human Race. Pledges can be made and collected right up to the event date, May 2, 2009.
• Third: Either turn in your pledges to us at the Winnebago County Literacy Council by May 1st at noon if you want to help, but can’t participate. Or if you want to join in the actual Walk/Run Event, you can meet me and other supporters of literacy at Menominee Park during the event registration which runs from 8:15-9:00 am and turn your pledges in there. All Walkers/Runners who turn in at least $25 in pledges are eligible to receive a t-shirt to remember the day by.

Thanks and we hope to see you there! Please invite your student to walk with you in the event. We are trying to have a visible presence at this year’s event. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call us.

Dana, Liz & Raissa

Support WCLC with Goodsearch.com and raise money!

What if the WCLC earned a penny every time you searched the Internet? Or how about if a percentage of every purchase you made online went to support our cause? Well, now it can!

Use http://www.goodsearch.com/ as your search engine - we earn a penny for every search you do.

GoodSearch.com is a new Yahoo-powered search engine that donates half its advertising revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate. Use it just as you would ny search engine, get quality search results from Yahoo, and watch the donations add up!

GoodShop.com is a new online shopping mall which donates up to 37 percent of each purchase to your favorite cause! Hundreds of great stores including Amazon, Target, Gap, Best Buy, ebay, Macy's and Barnes & Noble have teamed up with GoodShop and every time you place an order, you’ll be supporting your favorite cause.

Just go to www.goodsearch.com and be sure to enter the Winnebago County Literacy Council as the charity you want to support. And, be sure to spread the word!

"We Care" Pick n' Save

You can support the WCLC each time you shop at Pick n' Save. Stop at the customer service desk and ask to have the WCLC account number (939250) assigned to your card. Each time you use your card we get a donation!

What's New

WCLC Board Member

Gary Haffeman

I was born and raised in Oshkosh (I was the Oshkosh New Years Baby back in 1952!)  I attended UWO and upon graduation, married my childhood sweetheart, Tina, and became a teacher in the Neenah Joint School District.  I have one daughter, Hadley, and two grandchildren.  After retirement in 2007, I went to work as a real estate agent with the best real estate company in town, Adashun Jones.  I am grateful that my new career has allowed me the extra time to devote to Leadership Oshkosh and the Literacy Council.

The choice to work with the Literacy Council was a natural for me as I had been a 6th grade teacher for over 30 years. I chose the Council because of my firm belief in education and the Council's role in providing extended reading programs to the public. The Council is reaching out to people who might not otherwise receive such help. The mission of the Literacy Council is essential as it fills a need in this community to address the acquisition of functional literacy for adults and immigrants.

Without basic literacy skills, the goal of life as a contributing member of society is nearly impossible. Nothing could be more important and the fact that this literacy tutoring is done by dedicated volunteers makes support of this organization even more worthwhile.  My experience with Liz Janzen and the Literacy Council board has been a valuable learning experience for me and even after my term on the board, I will continue to support the Council in its efforts to expand literacy in Oshkosh.

Tutor Resource

Bringing Up a Nation of Savers (pdf)

Adults can use this site to make a savings bank out of a coffee can and plastic lid. The site has a downloadable label that has a place to write a savings goal and draw or attach a picture that represents that goal. Great for helping kids develop the habit of savings. Just the project for a family literacy class.

To see other recommended financial literacy resources, go to www.thinkfinity.org and click through the features in the middle of the web page. You can also look through the variety of free courses, print resources, podcasts, etc. developed by ProLiteracy and the National Center for Family Literacy.

Nutrition For The Whole Family

May is National Family Month, offering all families a great opportunity to take a closer look at their eating habits.  Take a few minutes to go to www.mypyramid.gov, where you will find information and interactive tools that will help your family follow the key recommendations of the government’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans. MyPyramid for adults and older children and MyPyramid for Kids for younger children each offer personalized and practical ways to create an eating and activity plan that is best for each member of your family.  Each week, try having a different family member plan and help prepare a meal.  Use the MyPyramid guidelines to select healthy food choices from at least three of the food groups.  Following is a recipe your family may enjoy preparing that includes servings from four of the MyPyramid food groups.

Quick Dinner Nachos Supreme

1 pound lean ground beef          

1 ½ cups uncooked instant brown rice

1 pkg Taco Seasoning Mix

1 can condensed tomato soup

1-½ cups water 

Baked tortilla chips 

 Toppings:  salsa, shredded low-fat cheddar cheese, shredded lettuce and chopped vegetables such as tomatoes and green peppers.

1. Cook beef and taco seasoning in skillet until browned.  Pour off fat.
2. Add soup, water and rice.  Heat to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat 5 min. or until done.
3. Serve on individual bowls or plates. Each family member may add his or her choice of toppings.  Serve with tortilla chips for dipping.         

The adult Spanish collection is now located on the second floor – print and music CDs as one collection area.  The books & CDs are labeled on the shelves in Spanish.   Located on the second floor in the same wide aisle where the Green collection is.  Go to the second floor reference desk where the staff will be happy to show customers exactly where this area is.

Programs

Location:  Oshkosh Public Library

Dates: May 11th through the 14th (Monday - Thursday)

Time: 6:00pm – 9:00pm

Check our website, www.winlit.org, or contact us for 2009 training dates.

Location:  Oshkosh Public Library

Date: Saturday, April 25  

Time: 9:00am-1:30pm

Location:  Oshkosh Public Library

Date: Saturday, May 23  

Time: 9:00am-1:30pm

Help open someone's world to opportunities once never thought possible.
Give the gift of reading -- register for a workshop today!!

One-on-One Literacy Tutoring

WCLC provides one-to-one tutoring opportunities to adults and families in the areas of Basic Literacy, ESL, Family Literacy, Math, Workplace Literacy, and Citizenship.

One-on-One Family Literacy Tutoring Program

WCLC will train volunteer tutors to work with families at the library, in their homes, or another mutually agreed upon location in order to improve literacy levels and promote learning together as a family. This program hopes to empower parents to see themselves as their child’s first and best teacher.

Family Literacy Program

The Family Literacy Program serves refugee families needing to learn survival English. This Family literacy Program provides an Adult English as a Second Language (ESL) classes for parents while their children received age-ppropriate learning in an Early Learning Classroom at the same time.

For information on any of these programs, contact Raissa Reimer at reimer@winlit.org or call 236-5219 ext. 4802.

Events

Join us again on Saturday, September 19, 2009, from 1-3

for our 2nd Annual

Team Scrabble Fundraiser

Becket's Restaurant

City Center

Grab 3 of your friends, colleagues or co-workers and register your team to compete against others

Register now, space is limited!

Team Registration $100

Includes Food and Door Prizes.

Cash Bar

Team Registration Form

Not very good at Scrabble®?
No problem. You may buy extra letters, sneak peeks in the dictionary, and even get expert advice. The more you raise in pledges the more opportunities you'll have!

Pledge Sheet

Watch for additional details in upcoming issues

Wanted!

Adult Literacy Tutoring Program

Cassette players with recording option

Blank cassette tapes

Family Literacy Program

Gift certificates to grocery stores to purchase snacks

Juice

Crackers

Napkins and paper plates

Play dough

Office Supplies

Dry eraser markers (wipe boards)

Copy paper

Manila file folders

Black and color ink cartridges (Black is 96 Color is 97)

Of Interest

Wisconsin Literacy Facts

• Approximately 1 million Wisconsin adults qualify for adult literacy and English language services (U. S. Census 2000 and NALS 1992). Only 75,000 (or less than 10%) of adults in need of services are currently receiving them.
• 18.93 %, or 785,682, Wisconsin adults, age 16 and older are not enrolled in school and do not have a high school diploma.
• 7.3%, or 368,712, residents over the age of 5 speak a language other than English at home.
• From 1990 to 2000, the Hispanic or Latino population in Wisconsin more than doubled (107% increase) (U.S. Census 2000).
• Wisconsin has the worst graduation rate (50th out of 50 states) for African Americans (Center on Wisconsin Strategy 2002).
• 47% of adult females and adult males incarcerated in Wisconsin lack either a high school diploma or its equivalent. 49% read below the ninth grade level.  74% perform math below the ninth grade level (Wisconsin Department of Corrections 2006).
• More than 14,500 basic skills and ESL learners are instructed annually by Wisconsin Literacy member agencies in community, corrections, workplace, family and faith-based literacy settings. (Wisconsin Literacy 2007)
• Nearly 3,500 trained volunteer tutors provide individualized, goal-oriented adult literacy instruction per year at Wisconsin Literacy member agencies throughout the state. (Wisconsin Literacy 2007)

  National Facts

• 42% of adults between the ages of 25 and 67 have, at most, a high school education (U.S. Census 2000).
• 20% of preschool aged children live in poverty and are likely to be part of families where the parent with the highest education has less than a high school education (National Institute of Family Literacy).
• 2/3 of all jobs, and the majority of jobs that pay wages sufficient to support a family, require skills associated with at least some education beyond high school (Carnevale & Derochers, 2003).
• In 2004, high school graduates earned 38% more than those with less than a high school education.  The average annual earnings for full-time workers 25 or older without a high school diploma were $22,232, while those with a high school diploma made $30,640, those with some college made $35,970, those with an associate’s degree made $37,480 and those with a bachelor’s degree made $53,581.
• The 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) estimates that 30 million adults in the U.S. –14% of the country’s adult population – have only the most minimal ability to read and write in English.
• 22.2% of the foreign-born population had less than a 9th grade education, compared to 4.7% of the native population (Current Population Survey, U.S. Census Bureau 2000).
• Americans spent $64.38 per taxpayer on video games in 2002.  The federal government spent $3.56 per taxpayer on adult basic education and literacy instruction in the same period.
• 66% of high school graduates do not have the skills and qualifications necessary to attend college (Center for Civic Innovation at the Manhattan Institute, 2005).
• 46% of prison inmates do not have a high school diploma (NCFL, 2002).
• One in five adults – over 40 million Americans – has pressing literacy needs (NALS).
• Almost 50% of adults on welfare do not have a high school diploma or GED (National Institute for Literacy).
• 43% of people with the lowest literacy skills live in poverty, 17% receive food stamps, and 70% have no job or a part-time job (National Institute for Literacy).
• American businesses are estimated to lose over $60 billion in productivity each year due to employees’ lack of basic skills (National Institute for Literacy).

International Facts

• When compared to five other industrialized nations in the Adult Literacy and Lifeskills Survey (2003), the U.S., ranked fifth in prose and numeracy literacy behind Bermuda, Canada, Norway, and Switzerland, but ahead of Italy.
• The United Nations estimated that in 2005, there were 785 million illiterate adults in the world (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
• Women account for two out of three illiterate adults.  In 2000 there were 236 million more illiterate women than men.
• From 1980 – 1995, the illiterate population of men fell from 327 million to 318 million, while the numbers of illiterate women grew from 551 million to 565 million (Aksornkool, 2001).

Business or articles of interest to the WCLC readership.

Do you have an article or item of interest to the business or education community that will benefit our tutors or students? We'd enjoy your input! This is a great way to spotlight your company, message or name! Contact Liz Rice Janzen!

Contact Us!

The easiest way to contact us is using email - you've seen our email address throughout - that of Liz Rice Janzen! Our phone number and mail address are:

920.236.5185 phone
920.236.5227 fax
106 Washington Ave. Oshkosh, WI 54901

Closing Notes:

Winnebago County Literacy Council relies exclusively on volunteers and gifts from our community to serve in our community. If you are willing to volunteer time or give a gift of money, thank you!